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Sebastian Lukács Gorka, born on October 22, 1970, in London, United Kingdom, to Hungarian parents who fled the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, is a Hungarian-born British-Hungarian-American political scientist, national security expert, former government official, conservative radio host, and media commentator. Raised in the UK, he moved to Hungary in the early 1990s following the fall of communism, where he became involved in Hungarian politics as a policy adviser, speechwriter, and politician during the post-communist transition, with ties to right-wing figures including the Hungarian Justice and Life Party (MIÉP). He earned degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics from Heythrop College, University of London (BA, 1990), and master's degrees in theology (1992) and international relations (1993) from Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Hungary. Gorka later relocated to the United States, establishing himself as a conservative commentator and academic, teaching at institutions like the University of London and Orbán University in Hungary before focusing on U.S. national security issues. He obtained U.S. citizenship in 2012.
Gorka's prominence rose during the Trump administration, serving as Deputy Assistant to the President from January to August 2017, where he advised on counterterrorism and Europe policy at the White House. He has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, contributing to his 2016 campaign and promoting nationalist and anti-Islamist views through books like 'Defeating Jihad' and media appearances. Currently, Gorka hosts 'America First with Sebastian Gorka' on Salem Radio Network and contributes to Newsmax TV, while serving in the second Trump administration since January 2025 as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
His career has been marked by controversies, including allegations of affiliations with far-right Hungarian groups like Vitézi Rend and scrutiny over wearing a medal associated with a pro-Nazi historical organization, leading to questions about his vetting for U.S. security roles and his academic background. Critics have accused him of promoting Islamophobic rhetoric and having undisclosed ties to foreign influences, though he denies these claims and positions himself as a staunch defender of Western civilization. He is widely described as a counterterrorism expert with far-right ties.
Personally, Gorka married Katharine Fairfax Cornell in July 1996, who is a conservative activist and former aide to Representative Michele Bachmann. His work emphasizes counterterrorism, immigration restriction, opposition to globalism, and has positioned him as a key figure in conservative and nationalist circles.